The Katy Rebels-D'Addieco advanced to the national final July 11-13 at the All-American Sports (AAS) National Championships in San Antonio. Pictured from front left are Allison Romero (20), Gracie Carrasco ... more

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Katy Rebels advance to national final

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The Katy Rebels-D'Addieco team knocked off two dominant No. 1 seeds en route to the National Championship game at the All-American Sports (AAS) National Championships July 11-13 in San Antonio. The Rebels took second place overall and went undefeated against everyone but the tournament champion.

The Rebels opened the tournament with a crushing 41-14 victory. They lost their second pool play game to the team they would eventually meet again in the final. They won their third game in convincing fashion again 36-10.

Entering bracket play as a No. 2 seed, the Rebels had to overcome a more difficult path to the championship, now having to play an additional game and higher-seeded opponents. They accepted the challenge and overcame very poor first-half shooting to pull off a 48-35 victory and move to the next round against a very talented No. 1 seed who had been running through opponents up to that point.

The Rebels jumped on them early with a level of intensity and aggressiveness that was extraordinarily high even by Rebels-D'Addieco standards. Back on their heels from the beginning, the opponent tried to battle back and made multiple runs to get the game very close, but could not overcome and the Rebels prevailed 46-37, setting up a showdown with another No. 1 seed in the Final 4.

This semifinal game also happened to be against the team that knocked the Rebels out of this tournament in the Elite 8 round the previous year. The Rebels put together one of the best games they have ever played, shocked the crowd and knocked off a very talented, big, and well-coached team. Through solid team defense and disciplined ball movement on offense, the Rebels jumped out to a 22-13 halftime lead, but as expected, the opponent put together a furious run in the second half to take it down to the wire.

With a four-point Rebel lead and about 40 seconds to play, a Rebels player committed a technical foul, giving the opponent two free throws and possession. They made both cutting the lead to two points. But the Rebel defense held strong, allowing only one shot and securing the critical defensive rebound. Despite being in the bonus, the opponent had to foul, and the Rebels hit both pressure free throws to build the lead back to four with about 20 seconds to go.

Again the defense held, this time not even allowing a shot as they got a steal in the waning seconds and held on for the four-point victory, 32-28. The Rebels had avenged the loss from last year and secured their first ever appearance in a National Championship game. However, seven games in a weekend, and three games (all against No. 1 seeds) in the final day, finally took its toll and the Rebels lost in the final to a very well-rested, deep, and talented team. With tired legs and nothing left in the tank, the Rebels did not have enough to overcome their talent and dropped a tough one to take the runner-up spot.

The team of Sydney, Kayla, Kim, Gracie, LaShanda, Delaney, Darian, Anna, Allison, and Natalia demonstrated phenomenal resilience in pulling off a second-place finish at AAS Nationals.